January 31, 2010

Source:

Human Rights Report: Purpose of False Confessions is to Execute Prisoners Later

According to (), the night before the execution of Arash Rahmanipour and Mohamdreza Alizamani, security agents played [a video that aired] their false confessions in an attempt to justify the crime [of executing the two prisoners]. In the video, four other political prisoners who were tortured were forced to confess.

The four prisoners, arrested late October 2009, are Mahmoud Dolatabadi, Mehdi Saeidi, Abaas Vali Khani, and Borzu Kamrani.

The prisoners have been kept in solitary confinement cells since late October. They were under physical and mental torture by security agents who had promised to set the prisoners free after their false confessions and a payment of $30,000 USD.

According to reports, the agents forced the prisoners to practice their false confessions. They were made to concentrate on each word and be conscious of their facial expressions while uttering them. To make the confessions look as natural as possible, the agents applied makeup to the prisoners.

The purpose of the false confessions was to create a reason to accuse the political prisoners of Moharebeh (waging war against God) so they can be executed later. The purpose of the executions is to create fear among Iran’s civil society.

HRDAI had condemned the executions and sent a request to the [UN] High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international organizations to urge an immediate meeting with the United Nation’s security committee to reach a decision on the termination of the inhumane crimes taking place in Iran.

HRDAI sent the report to the following organizations on January 29, 2010:

• The [UN] High Commissioner for Human Rights
• The European Commission on Human Rights
• Amnesty International
• Human Rights Watch

Summary translation by : Banoo Sabz